ENGLISH TEXTS
G. Between hurdles and chases, how much does pedigree matter?
F. C. For the same reasons, I like when horses have run in chases. That’ s often the case with the great ones. Unfortunately, careers tend to be shorter now, and they don’ t always get the chance to try steeplechasing. I like Magic Dream( Saint des Saints), winner of the Prix Congress( Gr. 2).
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FRANÇOIS NICOLLE
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By Serge Okey
Galorama. Which stallion has impressed you the most in terms of bloodline?
François Nicolle. Saint des Saints( Cadoudal x Chamisene). He is a very good horse whose progeny are quite remarkable, both in quantity and quality. And he is also an excellent broodmare sire. Three-quarters of his offspring turn into good racehorses. Naturally, his sire Cadoudal is a major figure in the history of the National Hunt stud-book. As for Kapgarde and Martaline, they left their mark on the 2000s and their generation, but they come from more or less the same line.
G. Which stallion would be your personal favourite?
F. N. I have several young horses by Moises Has( by Martaline) in my yard. A few of them are showing real promise and should make their debuts at Auteuil. They are fine models, really built for jumping, and generally very good-minded. They seem inclined to be precocious. I already have a flat winner and a three-year-old winner at Auteuil. He is a versatile stallion in whom I have 100 % confidence.
G. What would be your ideal cross to make a stallion?
F. N. I stick with Moises Has, an improver, like Cokoriko in my opinion. Ideally, I would cross him with a daughter of Saint des Saints, or otherwise by Kapgarde or Cokoriko. The progeny of Moises Has take training very well. I find them quite calm. Once again, they are usually handsome models, with plenty of bone, and coats of every colour. They really seem destined to become racehorses. And who knows, perhaps Group 1 winners.
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NICOLAS DE LAGENESTE
By Serge Okey
Galorama. Which stallion has impressed you the most in terms of bloodline?
N. de L. I have always been attached to Mill Reef and his lineage. This exceptional racehorse marked my youth: a winner on debut over 1,000 m in May of his two-yearold season, then victorious by 3 lengths in a Group 2 over 1,200 m, he went on at 3 to win the Derby at Epsom, the King George at Ascot and the Qatar Prix de l’ Arc de Triomphe at ParisLongchamp, then at 4 the Prix Ganay by 12 lengths. Unimaginable today... His genetic profile brought together the three great sires of the mid-20th century: Hyperion, Prince Rose and Nearco, from whom he descends on the male line. Logically, he became a great stallion, twice champion sire in England and twice sire of an Epsom Derby winner. True to himself, he passed on class, movement, good temperament and courage. These characteristics can be found throughout his numerous progeny, both on the flat and over jumps, notably through his established line: Garde Royale, Robin des Champs, Cokoriko.
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